1. Citizenship
Council

2. What’s different between Barnsley &
• Population of Barnsley - about
250,000
• Population of Athens at peak of
its achievements - about 250,000
• Do we see ourselves as a weak,
dependent, needy community?
• Or, as a gied, rich and diverse
community that needs to fulfil its
potential?
• Do we support citizenship?

3. What is
citizenship?
1. Rights & Duties - fairness
2. Control - autonomy
3. Direction - purpose
4. Money - independence
5. Home - belonging
6. Help - needs
7. Community - contribution

4. Citizenship is undermined by a
passivity designed into the
current welfare settlement:
• Services as gis - not as rights or
entitlements
• No duties - passive recipients, no
expectations or contribution
• Services controlled from above - no
personalisation
• Services isolating people from
community
• Standardisation - community
innovation discouraged

5. But it doesn’t need to be this way...

6. Barnsley has already led the way in a
fundamental shift in power -
• Flexible entitlements - not
services
• Partnership between services
and citizens
• Services accountable to local
people
• People playing a fuller role
in community life
• Local services and local
enterprise

7. Different is possible -
• Personalisation was created
subversively by local people
and local government
• Barnsley led the way in
developing good practice
• ere is oen more slack in
how systems work than we
realise
• Central government oen Bottom-up
plays catch up
Change

8. This isn’t just about adult social care - it
touches everything

9. Much of the welfare system is a

10. We could shift to a citizenship model
• Fair tax system for all
• Minimum income and
housing rights - an
entitlement for all
• Individual Budgets for
all people who need
extra help and advice
• Core local services -
free to all

11. Citizenship Council means...
1. Clarify local rights and duties for all citizens
2. Define the core universal free services
3. Extend and simplify the individual budgets (all social care,
healthcare, some education and other forms of personalised
support)
4. Clear map and framework for local community decision-
making
5. Opening up opportunities for local innovation and community
development
6. Advocate with local citizens to achieve their entitlements where
resources are under control of central government

12. But we will need to
be very smart
• e UK has most centralised
welfare system in the world
• Westminster-centric media
circus
• Cuts target local government
• Politicians and media
scapegoat local government
• We have got used to our
dependence on Whitehall

13. Current government talks about
localism - but what localism?

14. Where does all the
money go?
• As a proportion of state
spending there is £900
million missing from
local economy.
• Benefits biggest
expenditure - no local
control
• NHS largest service - no
local control
• Education - now centrally
funded
• Employment support -
centrally commissioned

15. What are our
1. Accept current relationship and trends - adapt to the assault
on local democracy
2. Challenge current relationship - reassert the role of local
government - find allies for real localism - build new policy
position - advocate for local citizens rights
3. Innovate within current structures - create new citizenship-
focused model of local government as model for future
reformed system
4. Do all 3 of the above at the same time...

16. 1. Government policy is confused - but
it is still ripe with opportunities
• Total Place - requires local
government leadership
• Health Reforms - integration of
PHBs into ASC model
• Localism - consistent with
neighbourhood approach
• Big Society - consistent with local
community partnerships
• Personalisation - can be extended
to healthcare, children, education,
criminal justice, employment...

17. 2. Innovation comes from refusing to
do less even when there is less money,
• Build on existing innovation -
some of the best innovations already
exist in our communities
• Shi resources down - identify
more areas to extend personalisation
• Integrate deeper - create genuine
points of integration - earlier
• Learn & network - share ideas
quicker, celebrate achievements
• Share responsibility - share the
problem with the community

18. 3. A new script for local government
needs to emerge from within local
• Connect to other places - learn and
develop with like-minded leaders
• Develop evidence - ask the right
questions, gather data, share stories
• Create a new policy position -
define the constitutional changes
necessary to support real localism
• Long-term thinking - be strategic
and seek sustainable reform
• Build an alliance for real localism -
develop a leadership cohort

19. Ask new questions
- build localism on
1. Rights & Duties - Clear entitlements? Clear rules?
2. Control - Freedom? Real options? Self-determination?
3. Direction - Lives of real meaning and purpose?
4. Money - Enough to live on? Free from dependency?
5. Home - Decent homes? Safe, welcoming neighbourhoods?
6. Help - Reliable and respectful support?
7. Community - Contribute? Work? Develop?